Change in Yellow Markings?

[a5m]

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I wasn't sure about adding to the Leica lore and posting about this but then I thought, we're Leica shooters so, yea 😂

I ended up with two of these and happened to notice a different shade of yellow markings on the newer lens made in 2018 vs the older one made in 2011. It's almost orange.

Anybody notice something similar?

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[jdlaing]

Yes.

[a.noctilux]

How's that ?

No images ?

[lct]

.

Edited September 3, 2019 by lct

[jdlaing]

And.......

Once in a while you’ll see different colored red dots too.

[a.noctilux]

2 minutes ago, jdlaing said:

And.......

Once in a while you’ll see different colored red dots too.

 

Sometimes red dots are

 

...

 

black 😊

[Michael Geschlecht]

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Hello Everybody,

And sometimes red dots are larger or smaller or flat.

Best Regards,

Michael

[adan]

Leica has been "drifting" from yellower to oranger engravings for 3 decades at least. Find a 1980s lens and the yellow is less orange than either of those pictured.

http://www.chapterlux.com/shop/leica-elmarit-m-21mm-f2-8-pre-a-e60-canada-with-12543-hood/

I have no idea why, unless Leica is simply switching from cadmium pigments to azo (less toxic, less expensive).

Edited September 3, 2019 by adan

[a5m]

On 9/3/2019 at 5:15 AM, a.noctilux said:

How's that ?

No images ?

Sorry, I think there was an issue. You should be able to see the image now.

On 9/3/2019 at 1:52 PM, adan said:

Leica has been "drifting" from yellower to oranger engravings for 3 decades at least. Find a 1980s lens and the yellow is less orange than either of those pictured.

http://www.chapterlux.com/shop/leica-elmarit-m-21mm-f2-8-pre-a-e60-canada-with-12543-hood/

I have no idea why, unless Leica is simply switching from cadmium pigments to azo (less toxic, less expensive).

The older lens you linked looks even more yellow and less orange. This is very interesting Adan. I was thinking there must've been a reason for the change other than 'just because' and this theory makes sense.

They might as well just make it red, I think that'll look much nicer anyway. But I guess they reserve that for Silver lenses and Limited Editions.

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello a5m,

Welcome to the Forum.

Actually, before they were that lighter yellow they were red. The red that is now reserved for special editions of black lenses some of which are either black enamel or black chrome.

Look at the earliest version of the 135mm, F4, Tele-Elmar with scalloped & knurled focusing ring. Not the somewhat later version with scallops & knurls that is in the light yellow that you wrote about above.

Best Regards,

Michael

[ianman]

1 hour ago, Michael Geschlecht said:

Look at the earliest version of the 135mm, F4, Tele-Elmar with scalloped & knurled focusing ring.

Even before that... the Thambar had red (and white) markings.

[adan]

8 hours ago, a5m said:

They might as well just make it red, I think that'll look much nicer anyway.

I guess so do many other people - and since Leica is not dumb, they charge extra for it, on special editions.

Personally, I like the 1980s yellow-yellow - and even convert my Voigtlander lenses' red to match that same yellow, with a little careful use of cadmium-yellow-medium artists' acrylic paint. It is my sole cosmetic fetish.

It's clear that the yellow numbers improve my pictures.

[a5m]

On 9/4/2019 at 2:30 PM, Michael Geschlecht said:

Hello a5m,

Welcome to the Forum.

Actually, before they were that lighter yellow they were red. The red that is now reserved for special editions of black lenses some of which are either black enamel or black chrome.

Look at the earliest version of the 135mm, F4, Tele-Elmar with scalloped & knurled focusing ring. Not the somewhat later version with scallops & knurls that is in the light yellow that you wrote about above.

Best Regards,

Michael

Hi Michael,

Thanks for the warm welcome

Yes you are right! The Tele-Elmar and also the very early 90 Summicron had a red scale. Also when I was looking at doing Leitax conversions to R lenses I had purchased an early 50 Summicron-R also with the red scale. Shame I never used it, that was a beautiful lens.

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16 hours ago, adan said:

I guess so do many other people - and since Leica is not dumb, they charge extra for it, on special editions.

Personally, I like the 1980s yellow-yellow - and even convert my Voigtlander lenses' red to match that same yellow, with a little careful use of cadmium-yellow-medium artists' acrylic paint. It is my sole cosmetic fetish.

It's clear that the yellow numbers improve my pictures.

Of course they do, it's Leica 🙄

Hey that's pretty cool! Your own à la carte line. I understand the cosmetic fetish. I'm not that bold or skilled, but I had a RC helicopter once who's blades I painted with a glow in the dark paint so I can see it at night.  They got too heavy and it didn't fly anymore 😂

Ah so the yellow numbers... C a d m i u m-yellow-medium you say? I'll be right back...

[jaapv]

The colour changes when they start using a new tin of paint - and sometimes they run out (true-not made up!); I suspect that there will be an Azubi dispatched to the nearest Baumarkt to get a tin or two of roughly matching colours.

[TomB_tx]

Most red engravings on black lenses are hard to read in dim light. Yellow on black is more legible in such conditions.